Brentford striker Ollie Watkins believes his side are starting to believe they can "achieve something special" in the Championship this season following a run of six victories in their last nine matches.

The West London side could be set to climb as high as seventh in the second-tier table with a win over Cardiff at Griffin Park this evening, and Watkins has now claimed his side have an excellent chance of sealed Premier League promotion by May.

Watkins has been in prolific form for Thomas Frank's side this campaign - with the striker having scored 12 goals in 20 league games since the start of the season - and his form has attracted interest in his services from some Premier League clubs.

It has been reported that Sheffield United are interested in luring the striker to Yorkshire, but the former Exeter City man appears solely focused on scoring the goals to help Brentford realise their top-flight dream this campaign.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Watkins has asserted that he is really happy with how his season is going at Brentford, while he is also thinks it has come as something of a shock that the Bees have a serious chance of sealing promotion.

"I think this is the best chance out of any year that we've got of doing something really special," he said.

"We don't concede many goals and, as of late, we've been scoring a lot. I'm really happy, I'm enjoying it, I'm scoring, even if I don't score, I'm happy for whoever else scores. There's a good team connection here."

"It's a shock to realise that we could do something special this year and that could actually become true. It's definitely a tighter league. There are a lot of teams that weren't in it last year that are up there this year and everyone can beat everyone in this league."

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The Verdict

The Bees made a mediocre start to the season as a number of the club's summer signings took a while to settle, but they have enjoyed an impressive run of form of late which has propelled them straight into play-off contention.

The 7-0 demolition of Luton earlier this month is a clear indication of this side's potential, while Watkins' reliable goalscoring presence has played a key role in Brentford's dramatic climb up the division in recent weeks.

The fact Brentford are currently looking strong in both attack and defence suggests they could be on to big things this term, but it is vital they keep Watkins at Griffin Park until the end of the season if they are to achieve this.